


Oh, Memories

by Shaunarnia



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 12:05:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17622062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaunarnia/pseuds/Shaunarnia
Summary: You finally muster the inner strength to pay your respects to Arthur.





	Oh, Memories

**Author's Note:**

> Major game spoilers inbound!

You scuff your boots on the loose stones that lay on the trail while you trudge along to the end of the cliffside, and you take in the sight of the snow capped northern peaks of Ambarino off in the distance when you finally stop walking. There’s no mistaking that you’re at the right place. It’s absolutely beautiful, and Charles definitely needs to be thanked for choosing this spot for him. You make a mental note to do so the next time you see him.

It’s been a few days shy of three months without Arthur, and time certainly hasn’t began to heal any wounds. At least not  _ **yet**_ , anyway. For weeks, you’ve been postponing this journey. Not because you don’t want to do it, but because you know exactly how hard it’s going to be for you, and you’ve still been trying your best to lay low after everything that’s transpired. But you’re finally here, and you’re doing this. Today is the day.

You look down at the flowers adorning Arthur’s grave, and that alone brings a despondent smile to your face. Some are beginning to wither, and some look more colourful, more lively than others, so clearly some people have been visiting. It just goes to show that he was loved.  _ **Is**_  still loved by many out there. You have no qualms about that.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come see you sooner.”

Fighting against the lump that sits in your throat, you address him, and the tears already begin to involuntarily spill over your waterline. You reach out, slowly, tracing fastidious fingers along the engraving on the wooden cross that marks where Arthur lays, and you only upset yourself even more.

“I been meaning to. It’s just…things’re hard without you, Arthur. I’m strugglin’.” you manage through harsh intakes of breath as your body shudders with sobs, “H-Havin’ to start all over, lay low, all that. It’s hard. And…and it don’t feel right, ‘cause you ain’t here with me. I-It just ain’t fair.”

A minute passes by, and you use that time to compose yourself. The waterworks don’t completely stop, but you manage to calm yourself down enough to talk some more. You have so much to say, you’re worried about forgetting some details. You don’t know a great deal about where some of your friends are now, but you decide that updating Arthur with what you  _ **do**_  know is good enough, better than nothing at all.

“John, Abigail, and Jack. They’re alright. They made it, thanks to you. Sadie, Tilly, they’re alive, too. Don’t know where they all are now, but they’re alive. I know that much. Seen Charles, too. Gave me the directions to where you are. He put you here, y’know? Went back for you, came and put you where ya woulda wanted to be.” you briefly rub at your nose and clear your throat, “And me? I’m…gettin’ by. Barely. Strugglin’, like I said, but I’m alive. It’s been hard on me. I’m hidin’ out in a shack somewhere for now, but I’m just…lonely. I ain’t got nobody.”

You groan and inwardly curse, willing more tears away. You didn’t want to spend your entire visit crying, but you knew this was going to be emotionally taxing for you. In an effort to regain some control over your emotions, you preoccupy yourself with the surroundings, mainly the view of the evening sky. With impeccable timing, you find yourself staring directly at the sunset. You’re sure that Arthur loves seeing such a view every evening. Tangerine hues merge with a magenta sky as the sun sets, and the hills below the peaks blush a delicate pink through the kiss of soft light. The dusky sky intensifies over time, your face still aglow with the remainder of the orange rays while the man you love makes his way back into your thoughts.

“I been thinkin’ ‘bout you lately. A lot. Wishin’ you was here with me, how much I love you, all the things we done together. God, we got plenty of stories to tell folk, don’t we?”

A soft chuckle precedes a yearning sigh, and plenty more memories all seem to come back to you in that moment. All pleasant ones. No negatives. While your relationship was far from being the equivalent of something you’d be likely to read in a storybook, you choose to remember the good things, and the flicker of a smile graces your features.

You fondly remember the day you and Arthur had first met, when you’d first joined the gang at camp. He’d actively made an effort to make you feel welcome, right from the beginning, and you’d both quickly became friends after bonding during nightly games of dominoes, even poker, if he wasn’t absent from camp for several days on end.

The first time you went fishing with him is another that comes to mind, and how the size of the damn bass you’d hooked had almost dragged you into the water when it fought with you on the other end of the line. He’d dropped his own rod and immediately rushed to your aid, and you laughed about it over dinner that night, reciting the events of that particular catch to the rest of camp with full bellies.

And how can you possibly forget the very first time he’d told you he loves you? He’d practically laid himself bare for you out of the blue that one evening, and it took you by surprise, but you were elated that he felt the same way as you did. He was very…to the point about his feelings for you, in typical Arthur fashion. You wouldn’t have had it any other way, either. You knew his words were sincere, and the giveaway was all in the eyes when he’d told you. Those eyes never lied, at least not to  ** _you_** , anyway.

Smiling despite the tears, you sniffle as they slide down your cheeks, and you swipe them away with the pad of your thumb. You snap yourself out of your reminiscent reverie, and you smile down at Arthur’s final resting place. Crouching slightly, you place fresh flowers down, ones that you’d picked not an hour or two before you set out for here.

“I know I’m a long way off it right now, but…one day, I think I’m gonna be alright.” you slowly rise back up to your feet to stand at your full height, your eyes remaining fixed on the cross engraved with his name, “And…one last thing. I got somethin’ to tell ya. It’s…quite a surprise.”

A surprise, indeed. One you were oblivious to until you absolutely  ** _had_**  to pay the doctor a visit a few weeks back, just to be certain. Arthur never found out before everything went to shit, but it won’t stop you from telling him now. Slowly, you raise a hand to your stomach, and you caress the small bump over your dress.

“We’re  _ **both**_  gonna be alright.”


End file.
